Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The formation of rain-shadow deserts

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The diagram below illustrates the step by step process on how the rain-shadow desert is made.

Overall, the formation starts from the sea level, through the windward side, crossing over the mountain, and descend to leeward side before reaching the inland level. However, this process is made of 7 stages in which the rain-shadow desert is formed.

At the sea level, the wind is forced upward to the windward side where moist air increases and cools before forming the clouds. While there is rainfall at the mountain top, the dry air continues over the mountain and reside at the leeward.

Conversely, the dry winds falls sharply to the inland areas where the rain-shadow desert is accumulate and formed.

The gap between the Coast and the inland area is the thousands of kilometers which is below the mountains.

This is the 7 stages on how the rain-shadow desert came about.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to describe the seven stages of a rain-shadow desert's formation, moving from the sea across the windward side, the mountains, and the leeward side to the inland area. However, there are some inaccuracies and awkward phrasings in reporting the visual data. For instance, stating that 'the formation starts from the sea level' is slightly imprecise compared to the visual showing winds approaching the coast from the sea. Furthermore, the description contains factual slips, such as 'the rain-shadow desert is accumulate and formed' (grammatical error as well as awkward reporting). Additionally, the word count is 149 words, falling just one word short of the 150-word minimum, which incurs a slight penalty under task achievement requirements. Overall, the main features are highlighted, but the development and accuracy have minor shortcomings.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into multiple paragraphs, including an introduction, overview, body details, and a concluding sentence. This shows an attempt at proper essay structure for Academic Task 1. However, the logical progression is occasionally disrupted by awkward transitions and confusing statements, such as 'The gap between the Coast and the inland area is the thousands of kilometers which is below the mountains.' Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or misused, and referencing is not always clear. Paragraphing is present, but the overall flow feels disjointed in places, placing it firmly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a natural process, incorporating terms like 'moist air', 'rainfall', 'leeward side', and 'inland areas'. However, there are noticeable word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'how the rain-shadow desert is made' instead of 'formed', 'descend' instead of 'descending', and 'is accumulate' instead of 'accumulates'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success, and spelling or form errors (e.g., 'dry winds falls' instead of 'fall') occur throughout, though they do not completely impede overall communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as subordinate clauses ('where moist air increases and cools before forming the clouds'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and word formation. Examples include 'the step by step process on how' (unnatural prepositional use), 'dry winds falls' (agreement error), and 'is accumulate and formed' (passive voice misuse). While these errors do not render the text completely incomprehensible, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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